Steelcase Karman Review: Best Office Chair For $2,000?

Steelcase builds insanely comfortable office chairs. Unfortunately, they share one defect – they’re f****ng dull. I’ve been trying to convince myself to buy a Leap for years, but I can’t step over its 1990’s cubicle aesthetic.

Enter the Karman.

A stylish, minimalist, attractive office chair from Steelcase. Has Steelcase finally delivered great design and ergonomic chops in one product?

Quick Verdict.

Above: Karman is available in four colours. This dual-tone brass-on-black scheme is by far the best. And hollow-centre wheels are a nice, subtle design touch.

The Karman is an office chair you’ll want to show off.

It’s one of the few ergonomic office chairs that will elevate your home office’s aesthetic – instead of making it look like a teenage gamer’s den.

But it’s not for everyone:

Armrest comfort is also subpar. This is particularly disappointing, considering Steelcase’s reputation for building outstanding armrests.

Users who love aggressive lumbar support must definitely look elsewhere (where?).

The ~$2,000 price point will raise eyebrows, but is also part of the appeal. Signalling that you can afford to drop a couple of grand on an office chair is sometimes a feature, not a bug.

Above: Thin armrests and weak lumbar support are two major downsides, which I’ll discuss below.

5 Things I Love About The Steelcase Karman.

I’ve owned over 15 office chairs over the past 5 years, so I’m pretty practised at separating marketing BS from substance. Let’s see how the Karman stacks up.

1. Cushioned Mesh Seat.

Mesh seats are almost as polarising as Bud Light’s attempt to win over the woke pronoun brigade without frustrating its redneck customer base.

The Karman attempts to bridge the divide by combining the mesh seat with an underlying cushion.

Above: Your thighs will thank you for the flexible frame and fabric-infused mesh.

Theoretically, this should provide a more supportive and comfortable seating experience than traditional mesh seats like the Aeron, while retaining breathability.

Yes, mostly.

The mesh feels very friendly on the skin, and strikes just the right balance of firmness and support. But the seating experience is a classic “floaty” mesh one, which may feel foreign to people used to fabric seats.

2. Flexible Frame.

The Karman’s frame is designed to flex and move with you.

Instead of locking you into a rigid static bucket seat like the Sihoo S300, Ergotune Joobie and HM Aeron do, the Karman follows the predictable Steelcase philosophy of promoting movement.

Both the backrest and the seat pan will flex with your body, allowing you to twist and stretch throughout your workday.

3. Sleek Low-Profile Design.

Above: Look closely. Zoom in. How many adjustment controls can you spot?

The Karman is pretty.

Almost enough to elicit a wolf whistle from an ergonomics nerd like me.

Attractive ergonomic chairs are rare (because decisions that elevate ergonomic chops also make the chair ugly), so the Karman exists in a very small clique of curvy, low-profile, minimalist chairs that look the part in contemporary workspaces.

Steelcase achieved this by deleting or hiding most adjustment controls (seat height and recline tension are the only two visible adjustments) to leave you looking at uninterrupted clean lines.

By the way, the Karman is available in 4 colour schemes, and I’d choose the black-on-brass one every time.

4. Impressive Automated Recline.

The weight-activated recline is designed to automatically adapt to your body.

This can be a significant advantage for shared workspaces or users like me, who dislike fiddling with numerous levers.

Above: Karman’s slimline design makes it easy to kart around the office.

5. Build Quality And Warranty.

If you’re used to heavy, bulky, traditional office chairs (which typically weigh over 30kg), you may initially feel that the featherweight Karman feels cheap.

Despite the lightweight construction, the Karman feels well-built. Nothing rattles or feels like it’s about to break.

And as you’d expect from a chair that costs upwards of $2,000, Steelcase covers it with its 12-year warranty.

4 Things I Hate About The Steelcase Karman:

I only have a few criticisms about the Karman. All are the unfortunate and unavoidable consequences of its strengths:

1. Limited Adjustability.

I’ve already mentioned seat depth adjustment, so I won’t harp on about it too much.

This is a common limitation of aesthetic-led office chair designs. It will force you to decide – do you value aesthetics or under-thigh support more?

Automated recline is also likely to frustrate control freaks.

It works very well to place you into precisely the right spot, but will not let you lock the chair into a specific position.

Above: The only visible adjustments (recline tension and seat height) are on the right side of the base.

2. High Price.

The Karman will set you back between roughly $2,000 and $2,400, depending on options and colour choices.

I get it.

But if you plan to blow upwards of $2,000 on a home office chair, I think the Karman is overpriced – because it’s stuck at a weird crossroads:

And if you want a reasonably stylish, very comfortable, minimalist ergonomic Steelcase chair, a Series 2 offers all of the above – for just over $1,000. And it has vastly better armrests (borrowed from the Leap). And it has seat pan adjustment.

3. Weak Lumbar.

Lovers of aggressive support will be disappointed. The Karman’s standard lumbar ‘support’ is nothing more than a built-in curve in the backrest.

Above: This Karman has standard lumbar, without the $90 upgrade.

I recommend opting for the $90 lumbar upgrade, which adds a pre-tensioned mesh strip to the backrest. It adjusts for height only, and offers a substantially more pronounced feel.

Even with the upgrade, the lumbar support is moderately firm at best.

4. Crappy Armrests.

Oh man.

Thinly padded, small and finicky, the Karman’s armrests are a major disappointment.

But even that seems underwhelming in an era when mid-range $600 office chairs offer 6D armrests.

Unfortunately, this is one area where Steelcase didn’t nail the balance between aesthetics and comfort.

How The Steelcase Karman Stacks Up.

The Karman is a beautifully designed – but flawed – office chair that will appeal to design-conscious people.

My Final Verdict About The Steelcase Karman.

The Karman is a risky purchase.

Resist the temptation to buy one online without doing an in-person showroom sit test. If you’re in Sydney, I recommend you visit Steelcase’s HQ in Elizabeth St and physically compare the Karman to the brand’s other chairs.

The automated recline, padded seat and lack of seat depth adjustment are divisive and will turn off a lot of users.

Yet, for average-sized users who value a stylish, responsive chair with minimal adjustments and a >$2,000 budget to boot, the Karman is a strong contender.

Individuals outside the 160cm -180cm height range – or those who value extensive customisations – will be better off in a Leap or its more upmarket cousin, the Steelcase Gesture.

Steven